Hey there!
I just wanted to let you all know that my blog Hello…Is This On? is moving and will be getting a new name. The site is currently under construction and I’m really excited. I hope you all will enjoy the new site and come back to see me.
My 9-month old daughter Alana is one of my favorite subjects to photograph. She’s fun, unpredictable and pure innocence. As you can see, she’s developed a taste for the finer things in life.
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Dear Landlords:
Renting your home for the past 6 months has been nothing short of an adventure. A really BAD adventure. This is a really bad ride and I’m dying to get off. Why you ask? Hmm…
- The warped, water-stained ceiling in the master bedroom has yet to be fixed. The funny thing is, you assured us that the ceiling would be repaired prior to our move-in and even stated such on that legal document we signed. What’s it called? Oh that’s right – lease agreement.
Ceiling in master bedroom
- Speaking of leaks and ceilings… Remember when I told you about the water stain on the bathroom ceiling? You asked me to touch it to confirm that it was indeed wet. Well, I touched it and my finger went through the dang thing! I’m still waiting for you to come over and fix the stupid thing.
- Going kitchen-less for an entire week due to a major leak under the floorboards is not cool. It’s especially not cool that our family of six was forced to eat out everyday until our kitchen was restored to working order. Even more uncool is the fact that you offered no discount whatsoever to offset the added expenses we incurred while having to eating out every single day.
Bathroom ceiling
- You know, I called you about the dishwasher a while back. I mentioned that it seemed to leak every now and then and that the seal required replacement. You came out, looked at it, pressed the seal down and deemed it “fixed”. Well as I mentioned in my follow-up phone call, it still leaks. Fix it please.
- Heat is extremely important around this time of year, so I was pretty angry when the heating unit I called about three weeks before had suddenly died and gone to Heaven on a Friday night. I was even more upset that Mr. Heating Guy couldn’t come out to replace the unit until Monday afternoon. Offering to put us up in a hotel was a nice gesture and although we declined, you were kind enough to bring a few space heaters over. Thank you, though maybe next time you could compensate us for the $60 increase on our electricity bill last month. Had you replaced the piece-of-junk heating unit I called you about weeks before, it wouldn’t have run overtime thereby causing our electricity usage to go up. Oh and you know what? Your reaction upon hearing about the $60 increase sucked. I don’t care that the new unit is energy-efficient. Our electricity bill went up by $60!?!
- Now let’s talk about that armadillo hole at the bottom of the steps leading down from the back deck. I reported that to you two months ago. It has yet to be filled! Get a bag of dirt. Drive your happy, non-armadillo-hole-in-the-yard-having butt over here and fill it! Yes, I could easily do it myself but I’m not going to. I pay you a lot of money. The least you could do is fill the gosh dang hole! By the way, did you ever stop to think that the armadillo hole is a liability issue? If I were a terrible person, I’d purposely fall and break something just so I could sue you. But I’m not, so I won’t. However, I may have to call your insurance agent. Wouldn’t it stink if you were to lose your rental property insurance because of your neglect? I worked in the insurance industry for almost 10 years. Do. Not. Tempt. Me.
Armadillo hole
- Oh and let’s not forget the vents under the house that have yet to be screened off – you know, to avoid critters from making their way into the house. Which leads me to our party crashers…
- The other night, our son noticed a little mouse run from the stove to the dishwasher. Thanks to the traps we placed around the house last night, we have three less mice here on planet Earth. Yes, mice. MICE! The cute little critters nasty vile creatures were waiting in traps for us this morning. Who the heck wakes up to find three mice in three different mousetraps in the same room on the same morning?!? We do! Apparently those furry little suckers were having a good ol’ time chillin’ in our kitchen while we lay slumbering. Who knows what kind of parties they’ve been throwing!
Two of the three mice that were killed overnight.
Look, I’m tired of calling of you and I’m tired of finding things wrong with this house. It’s just not acceptable. I understand that you painted the interior, re-finished the hardwood floors, re-tiled the kitchen and bathrooms, purchased a new stove and dishwasher, replaced a few light fixtures and ceiling fans. Yaddah. Yaddah. Yaddah. That’s all fine and dandy, but let’s get one thing straight. My husband and I are paying $1,300.00 per month to live in this non-mortgaged home that you own. We expect and deserve to have every single complaint addressed and resolved. We are faithful tenants who take great care of your home. How about returning the favor by getting off your lazy butts to resolve these issues?
You wouldn’t live this way. Why should we?
P.S. We can’t wait to break our stupid one-year lease. Don’t even think about trying to enforce that clever little penalty you added to our lease agreement. You’ve already broken the contract on so many levels. Good luck with your next tenants. I can guarantee they won’t be as conscientious and understanding as we’ve been.
Meet my sweet little 9-month old daughter Alana. She looks like an angel, doesn’t she? Ladies, don’t let those pretty blue eyes fool you!
My little pint-sized cutie has NOT been acting like a spoiled little diva lately.
She is NOT perfecting the art of tantrum-throwing in preparation for the terrible two’s. She is an even-tempered, well-adjusted child.
Alana does NOT throw her head back and kick her legs during diaper changes. She refuses loves laying as still as can be, allowing me to diaper her sweet little bottom with the greatest of ease.
Speaking of diaper changes, my blue-eyed babe does NOT have the ability to purposely hold her poop until Daddy leaves for work each morning.
And no, I do NOT think that she was born with an internal Mommy’s-Gotta-Change-My Poopy-Diaper-Because-Daddy’s-Not-Here warning system.
Seriously, she did NOT choose me as Chief Executive Officer of Poop Relations. She’d really prefer if Daddy changed her poopy diapers instead.
She does NOT enjoy torturing me with the tear gas-like quality that her poop seems to possess.
She really, truly does NOT have the nerve to smile and bat her eyelashes at me while I gag and gasp for air, trying desperately to change her diaper in record time without passing out from the smell.
And she certainly did NOT inherit her eyelashes and smile from me. It would make the fact that she uses them against me that much more wrong!
In case you were wondering, I do NOT believe that my daughter’s poopy diapers could very well be weapons of mass destruction. Besides, if they were the FBI would be on it right?
Moving on…
You know, Alana is NOT a nipple pincher.
She definitely does NOT pull back while breastfeeding only to grab my nipple and squeeze it between her little fingers like a super powered vice-grip.
And I do NOT scream like a little girl while my voracious milk-lover does NOT pinch my girly bits. That would make me a total wuss!
She would NEVER EVER do any of these things and I would NEVER let her get away with them if she did, just because I love her so much.
Welcome to Not Me My Child! Monday. This blog carnival was created by MckMama. Head on over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
Confessions Of An Overwhelmed Mom – My Journey Toward Creating More Calm, Less Stress
I’ll admit, I’ve totally fallen off the “More Calm, Less Stress” bandwagon. Last month, I made a commitment to do a 12-part blog series based on Karol Ladd’s book, “A Positive Plan For Creating More Calm, Less Stress”. I got as far as Chapter One: Divine Delights in a Less-Than-Perfect Family, but I became completely overwhelmed with the holidays and my calm crazy-stressful life. I’m back now and ready to get back on track with Chapter Two: Confessions of an Overwhelmed Mom. Ladies, let’s get this thing started…
I am the epitome of The Overwhelmed Mom. Each day, I find myself running on overdrive from the moment I wake till the moment I sleep. I’m buried in my responsibilities as a wife and mother. I have next to no time to myself. Ladies, I know I’m not alone. You’re just as busy and just as overwhelmed as I am. Let’s figure this out together.
We must take an honest look at our lives and replace the chaotic pace at which we tend to move throughout our day, and replace it with peace and order. How do we do that? The author breaks it down to two basic elements:
- Don’t do everything; do the right things.
- Rely on God, not yourself, for your strength.
Doing The Right Things
Every mom has a dream for her family and God has a perfect plan for our families as well. We mustn’t waste our time and energy on activities that aren’t in line with our family plan. Is it really necessary to add yet another sports activity to your child’s already overloaded schedule? Will this additional activity keep our family from becoming the happy, well-balanced and loving unit God created it to be? It’s important to ask ourselves these questions. Sometimes even doing what seems like a good thing, can be turn out to be a bad thing for your particular family.
I find myself making this mistake over and over again. I’m guilty of overloading our schedules and overwhelming our entire family from time to time. I get so caught up in all the awesome opportunities available to my children and myself. For some reason I continue to think that I can do it all and I’m more than happy to drag my family down that same dusty road with me. It starts off great, but eventually we get burned out. What was supposed to be an enriching, engaging and educational opportunity for our family turns into a chaotic, stress-inducing, frazzled experience. It’s so not worth it.
Relying On God
Let’s face it, life is tough. God never promised that this life would be smooth-sailing, even when we find ourselves living according to His will. Chaos and stress are looming around every corner, but we can choose to find peace and tranquility in God. Relying on Him for strength and guidance means laying our anxiety, overwhelm and fears at His feet. We must trust His perfect plan for our lives and continue to live and act upon our faith in Him. Coming to Him in prayer is one way we can do this.
My prayer relationship with God has been lacking as of late. It’s all my fault, really. I’ve thrown Him on the back burner, choosing to live according to my personal whims. It isn’t working out all that well for me. I miss having that connection with Him. The great thing is He’s always willing to welcome me back with open arms. It’s never too late to turn to our Father, relying on Him for strength, guidance and His everlasting grace.
Overwhelmed moms, let’s make a conscious effort to rely on God and do only the right things for our families this week. As always, I welcome you to share your comments, suggestions and experiences with me. Come back next week as I tackle a few Solutions to the Top Ten Stressors at Home. I can’t wait!
*In an effort to de-stress my life, I’ve begun a fantastic study by Christian author Karol Ladd. “A Positive Plan For Creating More Calm, Less Stress shares ways to create a calm environment, refresh your spirit, renew your body, roll with the punches and strengthen your family relationships.” A Positive Plan is exactly what I need to create more calm and less stress in my life. If you’re not familiar with “My Journey Toward Creating More Calm, Less Stress”, I invite you to take a look at the blog post that started it all.
Supplementing with formula is not an option for me.
I must use this time to relax and care for my needs and my child’s. Cleaning my house is not a priority at this time.
My husband’s support is invaluable. I can’t do this on my own.
And finally…
This growth spurt will not kill me. It will pass.
And yes, I will survive.
Hey there people! It’s Not Me! Monday. Let’s get this party started.
I have NOT had a crazy-stressful two-week Christmas Break with my children. They were a pleasure to be with every minute and every second of every miserable day.
I was NOT looking forward to Christmas Break for the sole purpose of sleeping in each and every morning in lieu of rising at the crack of dawn to rouse three children for a knowledge-filled day at school. I’m totally a morning person.
My children did NOT crush my hopes of sleeping in by raising hell each and every morning. They’d never do something like that!
I certainly did NOT curse my husband under my breath as he left for work each morning, leaving me in the lion’s den home alone with all four children. I mean seriously, it’s NOT like they mess the house, argue constantly or push my buttons. They’re perfect little angels.
I did NOT begin the back-to-school countdown 2 hours into the start of their Christmas Break. What kind of mother would I be?
I did NOT hold on to the little shred of hope that school would start back on Monday, January 4, 2010. Why in the world would I do something like that?
I most definitely did NOT greet this lovely Monday morning with a smile on my face, finding comfort in the fact that in a few short hours I’d enjoy a house filled with nothing but peace and quiet. Waking at an ungodly hour on a day like this would NOT be a treat.
I did NOT sing that stupid Miley Cyrus “Party In The U.S.A.” song in my head as my kids prepared for their first day back at school. That’s silly.
No, I did NOT rehearse the intricate and technically challenging “happy dance” in my head as the kids headed out the door to wait for their bus to arrive. A dancing queen like myself needs no practice whatsoever.
I did NOT grow restless waiting for the bus driver to arrive. I certainly did NOT want him to whisk my kids far, far away from here.
I was NOT panic-stricken upon discovering that he was 20 minutes late.
No dear friends, I did NOT log on to the school website only to discover that my kids would NOT be returning to school today.
And I most certainly am NOT looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow when my children do NOT return to school.
For real this time!
Welcome to Not Me! Monday. This blog carnival was created by MckMama. Head on over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have NOT been doing this week.
It’s a new year and I’m officially old!
Every year, I get a little closer to owning my very own Hoveround Scooter. Isn’t it enough that there are parts of me that crack and creek every morning as I roll out of bed? My body is falling apart and now my hair is gray! I’m like the lone wobbly wheel on the shopping cart at Wal-Mart that no one wants to deal with.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at Exhibit A:
To add insult to injury, my gray highlights hair has a mind of its own. If they’re not thick and wiry, they’re short and spikey. The latter are a direct result of my futile attempt to pluck each gray hair strand. Who’d have thought they’d grow back and stand at attention? There’s no hiding these babies. They’re everywhere!
Look, I realize that coloring my hair is an option but it’s not for me. It doesn’t fit into my I-don’t-have-time-to-mess-with-all-that-stuff lifestyle. I can’t be bothered with coloring my hair on a regular basis, doing touch-ups (or whatever you call it). I have a hard enough time trying to carve out an extra 5 minutes in the shower to shave my legs! Trust me, it’s been about 2 weeks since I last shaved. (I thought about posting a photo of my hairy legs as well, but decided against it. You’re welcome.)
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a hair coloring virgin. That cherry was popped 5 months ago. L’Oreal and I got it on in my bathroom early one morning. It was a little sloppy, a little awkward and a big waste of time. Trying to find an exact match proved very difficult. I spent a good 30 minutes in the hair color aisle selecting the right shade. I made a huge mess, stained my ears and it was totally obvious that I’d colored my hair. After all that, my gray highlights hair magically appeared a few weeks later. Totally not worth it!
So what’s a girl like me to do? I’m a 35-year old wife and mother of four and I’m going gray. I hope I can get a great deal on a Hoveround!
